Paper Mario: Heart to Heart
Paper Mario: Heart to Heart is the sixth game in the Paper Mario series, released for the Nintendo Switch. It follows Mario and Peach being separated from the Mushroom Kingdom and each other, as Bowser transforms the Mushroom Kingdom into Neo Bowser City. Meanwhile, Bowser's new ally, Carrina, sports a stolen body and the ability to steal hearts. Mario's Story Prologue - Switched Up TBA! Chapter 1 - Best Frenemies TBA! Peach's Story Prologue - A Heart of Gold TBA! Chapter 1 - The Maiden's Tower TBA! Intermissions Chapter 1 - Bowser Intermission TBA! Chapter 1 - Luigi Intermission TBA! Grand Finale TBA! Gameplay Paper Mario: Heart to Heart plays like previous Paper Mario games, specifically the first two, though it does draw several elements from its other predecessors. You play as either Mario or Peach in a 3D environment, solving puzzles using your unique abilities. Both characters can jump, but both have exclusive abilities. Mario can swing his Hammer and use NXT's Editing ability, while Peach can glide using her parasol, and utilise Aurum's Parasol Transformations. Both characters get a set of Partners, only one of which can be active at a time. Each Partner has a unique overworld ability, which are essential for puzzle solving and progressing in the game. Partners can be switched from the pause menu, as can your player character. Mario and Peach have separate storylines, and can only be playable in their portion of the map. After completing one chapter of a character's, you will have to complete the other character's corresponding chapter in order to progress. After completing both chapters, you will be shown a series of Intermissions, revolving around Bowser, Luigi, or Carrina. Battle Stage When you start a battle with an enemy, you'll enter a theatre-like stage. In battle, you have two main stats to worry about: Health Points and Flower Points. Health Points determine how many hits you can take, and both Mario/Peach and their partner have individual health bars. Flower Points are used up by certain, more powerful attacks. There is also Star Power, which is used to perform Special Moves. By using the shoulder buttons, you can swap positions with your partner. When attacking, you must pick your opponent, and then perform the move's corresponding Action Command. Executing this Action Command correctly will increase the move's effectiveness. With some Action Commands, failing it will cause the move to miss altogether. When it's the enemy's turn, you can Guard the attack with good timing, reducing the amount of damage you take. You can also Superguard, which is trickier to time, but will attack the enemy instead of you. Keep in mind, though, that some attacks can't be Superguarded. Another aspect of battling is Battle Bingo. When you successfully perform an Action Command, a bingo slot will appear, randomly selecting an icon. Match up 2 corresponding icons in Battle Bingo to turn the tides of battle! In rare cases, some Bosses might use Battle Bingo to their advantage. Audience The Audience is an essential aspect of battling. They act as your only method of gaining Star Power, aside from Battle Bingo. By Appealing or executing Action Commands, the audience will give you Star Power. If you manage to execute a Stylish move, they'll go wild! Audience members can also throw items into battle. These items can help or hinder you, and the audience members can even throw items at your enemies! It's up to you to determine whether you should take out the audience member or not, by deciding if the item they're holding is good or bad, and then figuring out if they're throwing it at you or the enemy. Don't worry, though. If they're going to throw something, they'll have an obvious giveaway at who they're aiming at. The following audience members have unique attributes: *'Toad' - Has a higher chance of throwing mushrooms at Mario *'Big Bob-Omb' - Has a chance of exploding if a fire-based move is used, clearing the audience around them *'Boo' - Has a chance of turning you or your enemy invisible for 2 turns *'Shy Guy' - Has a chance of going backstage and dropping a bucket of water in the next turn *'Tostarean' - If Mario's randomly selected Appeal taunt has him taking off his cap, Tostareans will give extra Star Power *'Puni' - Easily scared, and will run away if something scary happens *'Shroob' - Has a higher chance of throwing mushrooms at the enemy *'Volbonan' - Throws items only otherwise obtainable through cooking *'Lucky Cat' - Throws rare items *'Admiral Bobbery' - Has a chance of throwing a small bomb at the enemy In addition, some Bosses will use the audience to their advantage in various ways. Set Design In most battles, various props and backdrops will be present. For the most part, these serve no purpose other than making battles look distinct, but attacks like Mario's Hammer will have a decent chance of knocking them over. These can fall on you or your opponent, depending on where they're laid out. If it falls on you, you can block it if your timing is right. Some Bosses might use Set Design to their advantage. Levelling Up As you defeat enemies, you'll eventually Level Up. Once you level up, you'll have the opportunity to increase your Health Points, Flower Points, or Badge Points. Furthermore, once you reach certain levels, your Star Ranking will increase, giving you a more professional stage, and a bigger audience capacity. Co-Op Play Share the joy and hand your friend a Joycon! With one player controlling Mario or Peach, and the other controlling a Partner, the possibilities are endless! Overworld The screen will follow Player 1 - Mario or Peach. If the partner is separated from the main character, they will fold up into a paper airplane and fly to their companion. Only the second player is able to switch Partners, as they are the one playing as the partner. Either player can activate battles, initiate dialogue, or collect items. It should be noted that while one player is picking up an item or talking to an NPC, the other is still able to roam freely. Battles Battles work very much the same as single player, except each player controls their respective character. This applies to guarding as well as attacking. Should the Partner character use a Duo Attack, both players will have to input Action Commands. Either player is able to use Tactics or change Partners. In addition, either player can switch positions at the start of a turn, or attack audience members holding items. Main Cast |- | width=30%| | width=70%| |- |colspan=6 border=4 style="color:white; font-size:110%; background-color:#8650b8; border-radius: 8px;"|'Intermission Cast' |- | border=4 style="color:#2F2E2D; font-size:150%; background-color:white; border-radius: 8px;"| Luigi | border=4 style="color:#2F2E2D; font-size:100%; background-color:white; border-radius: 8px;"|Looks like everybody's forgotten about poor Luigi! He stayed in the Mushroom Kingdom, and is attempting to take down Neo Bowser City from the inside. He'll need to assemble a team if he wants to accomplish anything, though. Luckily, he can use his status as second banana to move about unnoticed. |- | border=4 style="color:#2F2E2D; font-size:150%; background-color:white; border-radius: 8px;"| Bowser | border=4 style="color:#2F2E2D; font-size:100%; background-color:white; border-radius: 8px;"|Bowser stormed Peach's castle, but was shocked to see no sign of the princess. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, he kidnaps an unsuspecting Mario, and sets about claiming the Mushroom Kingdom for his own. His plan is to construct the impenetrable Neo Bowser City over the Mushroom Kingdom. With no plumbers or princesses in his way, there's nobody to stop him! |- | border=4 style="color:#2F2E2D; font-size:150%; background-color:white; border-radius: 8px;"| Carrina | border=4 style="color:#2F2E2D; font-size:100%; background-color:white; border-radius: 8px;"|Carrina is a woman with the ability to rust things over, and was locked in a tower by Midas Kingdom royalty centuries ago. After that long in capture, she finally managed to break her shackles, and Princess Aurum was forced to intervene. Fortunately for Carrina, she was able to steal Aurum's heart and inhabit her body, and now seeks to control the bodies of royalty across the land. |} Partners Mario and Peach each gain their own party of Partners to battle alongside them. Like in previous games, each Partner begins with 2 attacks, and can be upgraded to gain 2 more. As a new feature in Paper Mario: Heart to Heart, Duo Attacks are introduced. Each Partner has an additional attack available, in which they gain help from Mario or Peach. Supporting Cast Gear Royal Crowns TBA! Editing TBA! Parasol Transformations TBA! Settings Crazy Cap TBA! Tattle Log Bosses TBA! Pit of 100 Trials TBA! Development Early Stages Paper Mario: Heart to Heart began its lifespan as a successor to Super Mario Odyssey, entitled Super Mario Rendezvous. It was originally an open world 3D platformer, with a similar setting to the game it eventually came to be. The Koopa Subway would originally receive greater focus, being both Mario and Peach's mode of transport. Aurum's body was stolen by Bowser in this iteration, for her wonderful singing voice. There was also a character named Madame Argentum who wished to steal Princess Aurum's heart, being the reason why Aurum's heart was separate from her body. General Aesthetics Paper Mario: Heart to Heart borrows its artstyle from Paper Mario: Colour Splash, featuring a vibrant, handcrafted look. Albeit, the handcrafted theming has been toned down a little. Characters sport the same white outlines as in that game, though the game now features a much more dynamic lighting system. The game also draws a lot of inspiration from Super Mario Odyssey, in trying to establish each new kingdom as unlike any previous area, emulating the feeling of culture shock. It also borrows many species from the Switch bestseller. Gallery Paper Mario Heart to Heart.png|Logo Aurum Heart White.png|Aurum NXT White.png|NXT Koopick White.png|Koopick Pizazz White.png|Pizazz Carrina Aurum White.png|Carrina inhabiting Aurum's body Mercii.png|Mercii Trivia *The game was repurpoused from Super Mario Rendezvous Category:Paper Mario (series) Category:Paper Mario Games Category:Sunset Studios Category:WesternSkies Category:Nintendo Switch Games Category:Role-Playing Games Category:Action Role-Playing Games Category:Mario (series) Category:Mario Games Category:Fan Games